Room for a large one? Hoping to be a smaller one! I started last week and lost 3lb, and am delighted. I would like to lose another 11 by xmas, then I might feel motivated to not consume my own body weight in mince pies and chocolate oranges!
This is a safe space to land 🙂

Morning all!

So great to be sharing this journey with you all! Hoping it’ll be a great ride with a few nice surprises along the way!
Weigh in day for me at start of week 4 & a 3lb loss making a total of 17lbs in 3 weeks, I’ll take that 😊
Going to remember to take my trainers with me today for a power walk at lunch time. I’m determined to meet my 30lb loss goal by the end of week 8.
Have a great day everyone
Nicky x

Ok, I’ve just hopped over from the last of the “4 wks from 25 Oct” thread. Great to see the regulars from there, and many more. I’ve been on/off BSD journey several times since sometime in April with overall 5.6kg loss. Ikg of that was this last obstacle-strewn month, which I’m claiming as a victory.

So, starting this 4wks a 62.5kg, still in overweight BMI range. Goal is to be within BMI normal range.

Wishing us all the very best of success in this next 4 week challenge.

I am also hopping over from the ‘4 weeks from 25 October thread’. Reporting in at 9st 9 1/2lbs. Not been that weight since 1968!

Aiming for 9 stone 7lbs at the end of this challenge. Although the BSD is absolutely brilliant I know without a doubt that I could not have achieved it without this forum.

So thank you everybody.

DAY 1 of 28

Hi everyone and welcome to our overnight posters.

We are now 25, which is marvellous, and it would be great if we all manage to stay on board for the next four weeks. I know it will be difficult for some of us with holidays and celebrations, and the odd ogre rearing it’s nasty head, but hey that’s life, and we have to be able to live within the plan for life. Especially those of us with diabetes or other health issues.

So, my goal is to lose 5lbs to drop into the next stone but 7lb would be brilliant. My plan is to cut out the odd oat biscuits I’ve been having with cheese, the odd ginger biscuit with my coffee, forget the red wine and halve my dark chocolate allowance. A girl has to have some pleasure!!! I am also going to increase my water intake to two litres a day. I know that’s not a lot but for some reason I have been struggling to get through enough.

So that’s my goal and my plan now I just have to stick to the plan, work hard, stay positive and not forget my goal and I will get there. I WILL get there !! Especially with your help.

Enjoy this new journey and have a good day!

Wow – Verano – I love a plan – I especially love it when it comes together! This sounds like a great plan – I would hazard a guess that it’s the water that’s going to make the difference. 10 weeks ago I’d be lucky if I drank a litre of water and now I drink between 3-4 litres. I hate water, every single gulpful is horrifying to me – and everytime I log another 500ml I think – here’s to a thinner, healthier me!

Good luck!!

Good morning folks.
Lovely to see everyone is so positive.
Today for me is going to include thinking about a small goal for myself between now and Christmas.
Oh and looking after a grandson who has just been injured at school playing rugby:-/
Love your plan Verano you have inspired me to think about one myself.

Hi everyone – I’m popping over from the 10 Oct starters group 🙂 Hoping to finish my 8 weeks on a strong note (just 1.5 weeks to go!) and just keep going. Temptations are building with lots of work functions and end of year luncheons coming up, so need to say strong and disciplined! And christmas mince pies are usually my big weakness in this period. Just checked product info – 230 calories and 36g of carbs in 1 pie – and I’d normally do 2 in a row, ouch! 🙁

Good luck everyone!

Hi Verano and the rest of the crew. Glad you are all on board and determined to do this last push up to Christmas. My results for the last week (I’ve already put them on Another 4 weeks) 1.5 lbs, 5.75 in the last 4 weeks, so well on my way to my 10 lb goal for Christmas. So my goal for the next 4 weeks is 5.25 lbs, which will make it 11 lbs. Thought I would add it that extra pound for good measure. I have lost a total of 16.75 lbs since starting and I am not disappointed in that as I have been on a diet for the last 10 years and have not lost a single pound in that time. My BG has gone from 190 to a steady 80 / 85 with some peaks to 100 so I am very happy. I am having my HBA1c done on Monday. My test before BSD was 11.2, then 6 weeks in I was down to 6.7. My goal for this next test was to have reached 6.0 but I am revising that and want to be 5.5 so fingers crossed. That is my motivation for a good weekend.

When I got on my WiiFit this morning my BMI has dropped 2 points and I am 31.9 so still in the obese range but that will change. That is one thing that comes down very slowly. Here are my other losses:-

Bust, lost 3.5 inches Stomach, lost 3.5 inches Midriff, lost 3.75 inches Waist, lost 6 inches Hips, lost 3.5 inches and 1 inch from each thigh. Total inch loss 22.25 inches. That is fantastic.

Okay ladies (we are all ladies – I think) here’s to another 4 weeks.

I have been intending to post this for a while when I saw someone saying they wanted to drink 4 litres of water a day. Here is a warning, 2 litres of water is quite enough. I may not be a nurse now but I have done my training and too much water is bad for you. The science is that you have 2 major electrolytes Salt and Potassium, these are moved through the heart by osmosis (i.e. water pulls in and pushes out) so your heart always has the right amount of either chemical. If you flood the body with water by over-drinking the salt to potassium ratio goes out of whack and that is when you have salt depletion and can get headaches, shakes and possibly palpataions then we on this site always add a little more salt. If you take this to the extreme the body becomes completely salt depleted and the build up of potassium causes the heart to go out of its natural rhythm, the is what we call arythmia of even fibrillation and can lead to a heart attack.

I don’t want to scare anyone but people seem to believe that if something is good for you then more is even better, this is not true. The body is a finely balanced machine and, when we mess up it can correct itself but if we realllllllly mess up it packs in.

Sorry for the scare tactics but I want you all to keep safe. Drink plenty of water, add a little salt to your diet and eat sensibly. Contrary to what other people think, this is a really healthy diet as long as we stick to the principles.

Have a good day, if I haven’t frightened you to death.

Very interesting sunshine-girl! At least now I can be content when I only drink 1 to 1.5ltrs a day. Added to that I usually have soup and maybe 3 cups of tea so all in all I probably do have a high enough fluid intake. No chance of me drowning in water!!

The professor and Dr Mosely both say 2-3 litres of water a day.

We done on your super losses from your start on th BSD and over this 4 week challenge. Your waist measurements are particularly impressive. No wonder your blood sugars are so good. Good luck with your hb1ac on Monday.

Thank you for the info on the water. I had a major problem with severe thigh cramps in the past. I was following the healthy guidelines and cut salt out of my diet virtually completely. When I added it back they completely went away. With the extra water on the BSD I do have to add salt to all my food religiously otherwise I get dreadful night cramps. I will make sure now that I am not drinking too much water. I hadn’t realised that it could be dangerous.

Hi all you lovely strictly peeps💃💃💃

Well weighed in this morning, I have maintained the 15.21 k I lost 12 weeks ago, so ready to restart, I have been very sloppy eating tons of carbs, the appetite monster definitely got switched back on by all that sugar. I had foolishly deluded myself I had switched it Of forever, nope it gradually switches back on, and then if you are like me whey hey Of you go, a scoffing machine.
So I’m in for a tough few days, and will need lots of sharp nagging, telling me to just b…….. well get on with it😅 But I’m looking forward to it, I feel bloated, and very sluggish even though I have only put on 2.4 k. So on it now, and I know within 48 hours I will start feeling very different. I’m charging up my neglected jawbone up to count the 3,000 steps I’m going to do a day, and build that back up again.
I’m going to make the mackerel frittata for supper this eve, anyone had it. So good eating everyone, thank you for the good company, and nag me as often as you like, as I’m going to need it.😱😱😱
My aim for this week is to loose the 2.5 k to take me to my lowest. Then to go down another stone before Xmas.

Hi all, I know I’m a straggler who’s running to get on as the train leaves the station, but can I join too? Been having internet problems, but will post when I can! I am 4 weeks in and have lost 16lbs, with lots more to lose. My 8 weeks finishes Christmas Eve, then having a couple of days off (still low carb), then back on into 2017. I get such motivation and support from reading everyone’s comments 🙂

Thanks for the info sunshine-girl. I will stick to two litres of water instead of pushing three down my throat.
I have noticed I am putting more salt on my meals so I will try to have less. I have also had a slight head ache for a couple
of weeks. Perhaps drinking three litres of water plus fruit teas during the day has been the problem! I do have palpitations now and again.

greenjanet the macular frigate is one of my favourite meals on this diet. We had it last night. Could not get watercress this week
so we had it with stirred very…..asparagus, courgette and a tiny bit of cauliflower. I had noted anything to eat yesterday because I was so busy. But this hit the spot.:-)

Welcome Lara and Alex49.

Shame about mince pies but hey maybe one mini one with no top would do the trick !!

Fairyface is that your predictive going nuts??? Macular frigate …. mmmm … not so sure about that one!!!

It was fun to wake up this morning to read all your posts! While I’m sleeping, a lot of you are awake so always nice to check in and read your entries. Verano reported we are 25 strong and growing! Welcome everyone who just joined.
My goal for these four weeks before Christmas are to finish my first 8 weeks (currently in week 7) and be 20 lbs. down from my start (currently at 17 lbs off). Then I will push on for another 5 lbs. off by Christmas. I haven’t been down this far in such a very long time and I’m getting really excited about it. I am going to make plans to go out for a very nice dinner with my husband during the holiday where we’ll get dressed up. I already have the dress picked out! It’s a holiday dress I bought last year but never wore it because it was too tight. I couldn’t even zip it up! Now it zips up easily. By the time I wear it again, it might be too loose but that’s okay with me :–).
I really appreciated your post “greenjanet” about your experience with taking some time off from the BSD and getting back on track. I too have those thoughts about going off it after 12 or so weeks but don’t want to risk gaining my weight back. Thanks to you sharing your experience, I plan to have the occasional carb as a treat but continue on the plan with eating a few more calories than 800. If I start to gain, I’ll go back to the 800. Also, thank you sunshine-girl for sharing your knowledge of drinking too much water. You may have saved one of us from a serious health crisis. Wishing you all a successful 4 weeks. I start cooking tomorrow for Thursday’s Thanksgiving feast .

Im also on board ,the problem for some of us is that we know what to do, we just have challenges doing it.that’s where everyone’s support is so great..lets see what results we all get.

Missed that one Verano. I learnt to touch type many years ago and sometimes my fingers and brain are not co ordinated.
Must be excited about setting myself some goals. One of which I have just done.
I have been for a walk……not far. 4961 steps to be exact.

greenjanet……mackeral frittata is one of my favourite meals:-)

Good morning sleigh passengers from sunny California! I hope everyone has a good seat, with a view, and thanks Captainlynn for finding out what to feed the reindeer — BSD friendly food of course! Actually that brings to mind one trip we took to upper Michigan in late fall — at the gas stations there were big burlap sacks piled high with huge black sugar beets, big gnarly carrots and thick yellow corn cobs. We must have spent two days wondering out loud in the car what the heck they were for before I finally asked someone. They use them to attract the deer to their yards so they can, uh-hem, put them on the Christmas table. I was horrified! So, keep our reindeer out of Michigan air space for the good of the BSD crew! And, I thought of all of us yesterday when I stopped by Peets coffee to get some coffee beans (Peets is like an upscale Starbucks with better coffee) and they had the line snaking through a series of display shelves, just LOADED with bad food, cookies, candies, sugar nuts, all in holiday colors and wrappers. And everyone in line was ordering big sugary bar drinks and taking holiday bread slices and honestly, it just made me so sad because people just don’t know the damage they are causing or they are fooling themselves because it looks so festive. When we talk about a toxic food environment, this is what comes to mind. There literally was no healthy option except black coffee (which I accepted happily and got the heck out of there so I would not be tempted)! I want to cry when I think of how many lattes, frappucinos and chunks of pumpkin bread I used to put in my stomach! So stay out of the coffee joints mates! Nothing good can come of it!😜😜

Hi Jenni, My advice was just that, and not prescriptive, I am not saying 2-3 litres is too much but when I saw someone thinking 4 litres a day was a good goal I thought I would just explain why that is not such a good idea. Most people struggle to drink 2 litres so I would not want to discourage them from trying and succeeding in getting to 2. In real life we are probably having that already in our cups of tea and coffee, juices and soft drinks (preBSD) and there is also the water in food. Someone managing 2 litres per day is probably having around 3 litres with other drinks, I know I still have my green tea twice a day and a coffee after lunch. It was just to make people aware. My husband is always one for going over the top on everything. He was told cholesterol yogs were good for you so he started having one after lunch, as well as his normal cake (2 days a week for the cake). I told him the yog should be instead of the cake. He was told bananas were good for you for potassium and started eating 2 a day. He started getting cramps, then he just happened to have routine blood works done and his potassium levels were sky high, not dangerous but too high.

Back to drinking 4 litres of water a day, that probably equates to 5 litres with other drinks and food, so it was just a cautionary tale so people are aware. PLEASE DON’T STOP DRINKING WATER – most of us never get to 2 – 3 litres a day. And, just like my advice, take it with a pinch of salt.

Hey JAN told me there was a party going on ! X
Great idea Verano..reading thru the posts,it looks like youve given everyone a fresh spurt of enthusiasm.
I start my week 20 tomorrow so am happy to join you all in the final push of 2016 – which has been such a transformative year for so many folk on this forum! We will have a LOT to celebrate this Crimbo!
Lets go for it,kids,we will start 2017 looking and feeling maaaaaaaarvellous!

Yeaaaa Yowser

Ooh glad to have you at the party, we need your sense of humour. anddddd wait for it I’ve been a good BSD girl all day in the voice of Craig revel Haywood Aaaa maaaa zingggg. So day one almost in the bag, wish I had yours and veranos self discipline, but hey we will get there. 🎉🎉🎉🎉💃💃💃💃🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

greenjanet how was your mackerel frittata?

Day one in the bag and my carbs are at 34.8, so nicely under my target of 40. Stuck on a plateau at the moment, weight was the same this morning as it was last Tuesday, although I have been lower in between. Whether that was the Saturday night carb/alcohol fest or the water retention from my time of the month I don’t know, possibly both.

Suffering with a nasty head cold at the moment as well, so if I’m sitting down in a corner while the rest of you are dancing that is why.😣

Really loving the enthusiasm here – we should start a conga!
Posted on 10 Oct thread that I lost it a bit today with a citrus (wanting sour, not sweet) craving. Travelling with work and breakfast buffet had sour blood orange juice – v festive and my absolute fave – so it was down my neck in seconds. Blood sugar rush was properly scary, felt very odd all morning, big glucose spike too, so won’t try that again.
Have bought some pure lime juice from Tesco – a few drops in iced fizzy water gives the citrus taste without the sugar. Such a naughty kitten…. MKx

Sunshine-girl my mother-in-law ended up in hospital (briefly) after chugging a lot of water once on a very hot day, I believe the problem was her electrolyte balance. I’m in no danger, I struggle to get to 2L! I have heard medical professionals say that the 2L we need includes that from food (lots in fruit and veges) but a lot of successful dieters say drinking 2-3 helps with weight loss so I’ll continue aiming for that since you say it’s ok.

I’ve been wobbling for a couple of weeks now and my weight is swinging wildly, I’m up nearly a kg since yesterday! I’m feeling a bit affected by stress, I need to learn that extra food doesn’t solve anything. Onwards and downwards.

I should do some dancing today in front of my XBox but it’s 30 degrees C and there will be tradesmen hanging around (have been nearly every day for about a month now) so I’m not sure if I have the courage or fortitude.

Funny thing is Natalie, you are probable a case where a little more would be okay, exercise combined with heat you will be sweating it off so keep an eye on your salts. I have 30 degrees plus in Summer and try to drink more but 2 litres is still plenty and more than most.

Butterlover and Yowzer you are numbers 28 & 29! Not sure if Jeni on the block is with us or not but if so we are now 30!!!!

It would be wonderful if we were all here on December 20th for our last pre-2017 weigh in!!!

It really is good to see so much enthusiasm. Day 1 is almost over (in theUK). Mine has been mixed, one of those days when so many things happen that you just need to sit in a dark room for half an hour to recover. At least my central heating is working again! But I didn’t get to plan my day properly not having lunch till nearly 3pm, and so my choices haven’t been the best. Tomorrow is another day but I do hope you’ve all had a good one.

A very good day today. Had another eye clinic appointment this afternoon. The consultant confirmed that there is absolutely no diabetic retinopathy in my eyes nor macular oedema. The retina has stayed healthy since my last appointment. So now don’t have to go back for 6 months instead of every 2 or 3 months – which is a relief as I find it quite stressful.

So as long as I keep to the BSD and stay ‘ in remission’ from diabetes my eyes will stay ok. A really good reason to ‘keep on keeping on’.

Hope everyone has had a good day also.

Love to you all xxxxxxx

Krysia …. wonderful news! Carbs or control …. no contest!

The best is yet to come!

KRYSIA thats wonderful news about yr eyes xxxx

Congrats on the good news from your eye doctor KrysiaD!

Alex49, great news on the 16 pounds lost in 4 weeks! Wow!!

Californiagirl, I know what you mean about all those goodies at Peet’s and Starbucks. I used to have a grande non-fat carmel machiato with extra carmel, a bacon gouda breakfast sandwich and one mini vanilla scone for breakfast and I thought I was doing well! Yikes!
And really that wasn’t so long ago. . .right before I started the BSD back in October. No wonder I wasn’t able to lose weight and was slowly gaining.

So I just wanted to put this out there for everyone’s input and advice. . .I’ve lost 17 lbs. and gone down at least 1 size but no one has noticed. My husband is very supportive and gives me compliments which I truly appreciate! I know I shouldn’t care what other people think but it still bothers me a little that no one has said anything. Has anyone else had this experience and if so, how are you dealing with it?

Yep for me it wasn’t until I hit 2 st down that a couple of people noticed, others notice but don’t comment wear fitted clothes then they will notice especially the chubbier of the acquaintances but don’t talk to much about how you did it for most it’s an absolute turn of they want to be unhappily fat I think, and for some what we are doing is rubbish or bonkers huh. I turned around symptoms of SLE with this plan it’s a major plus for he immune system so good for me. Rant over 😅 didn’t know I had it in me

Pos because I have been a good BSD girl yeaaaaa about b……. time😇😇😇

I had to lose 2 or 3 stone before anyone commented. Then they asked if I was ok. They were afraid to comment on the weight loss in case I was ill.

I think they’re so used to seeing us looking ’round’ that it takes a while for them to,get used to the slimline version.

Hi Jmarie41 — you must be in the US — where are you hailing from?
And re no one saying anything, that was SO weird that no one commented for so long but I think I agree that they are worried we are ill — I mean, they knew me for years and years as chubby!

I think it goes to show that other people really don’t care as much about how we look as we think they do! As overweight people a lot of us try to hide, thinking everyone is staring and commenting and judging. But honestly they are thinking about their own bulges, or what happened at work, or the fight they had with their partner or something. They don’t notice or care what we look like, mostly. This can be disconcerting when we want praise for all our hard work, but it’s good to remember when we feel self-conscious about how we look.

Also I’m sometimes scared to comment about someone’s appearance change. What if I tell them I love their new haircut and they say they got it a month ago and I’ve seen them three times since then? What if they haven’t lost weight and now I’m insulting them by implying they looked fatter last week? Easier to say nothing. Actually my strategy is a less specific “you look great” and then they can offer weight loss/new haircut/new outfit.

My first day on the train ride went pretty well. I was happy to see the discussion about water as I had always guilted myself for not guzzling more. I had 64 oz today plus herbal tea and morning coffee. That seems about right; but time will tell. I kept pretty close to the 800 for the rest of it.

A colleague at work has just started a “healthy eating” diet, by the end of the day she was quite miserable and hungry so she had a few triscuits and chocolate covered pretzels. I told her not to feel bad, that just adds to the problem. I have noticed that prior to the diet, she had grazed all day on sugary snacks and I personally think that the sugar is the one thing that throws a wrench into the works, whether it is unadulterated sweets or carbs and withdrawal from sugar is no mean feat. She knows I have been pressing on, and asked if it gets easier. Honestly I said after 7 weeks I thought hunger would be a thing of the past but I just have some herbal tea and it subsides, though does not disappear , alas.

I had not incorporated any exercise thus far so over the next few days I plan the assault on the Eiger, but will settle for doing a walking tape! I must learn to budget my time better in order to fit this in. Then, of course, I have to just do it!

Here’s to a great rest of the week for all of us Strictly followers!

Thank you everyone for your comments regarding no one noticing my weight loss! Your input really helps me and gives me more insight as to why people haven’t noticed or just don’t know what to say if they have noticed. Thank you! I have covered myself with sweaters, sweatshirts, jacket’s and coats for so long that I don’t think people I know really know for sure what my figure looks like.

Californiagirl, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. How about you? It’s 10:10 pm so I’m off to bed. Tomorrow I start cooking for Thanksgiving. We are now down to 12 guests because 2 of our family can’t make it! 12 is the perfect number of guests for our dinner table. Happy Thanksgiving to you on Thursday. What is your strategy going to be for the holiday?

Morning folks. It’s me!!! I drink 4 litres of water a day!!! This is a new thing and I only upped it about 2weeks ago because I hit a plateau. It worked.

I will do some research on the water thing (not that I don’t trust sunshine girl) but I suspect that with all these things it depends on you and your body and your level of activity your natural salt and potassium levels etc etc. I don’t chug water. I sip often through the day but I have taken the advice on board.

On a related note I feel fabulous. Everyone, and I mean everyone, in my office is sneezing, coughing, spluttering and I’m just knocking those germs away outta the park. I’m close to target and I haven’t had any symptoms of water overload but I will definitely keep an eye on it.

Good luck on day two all xxxx

Jmarie41 – hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving meal with your family tomorrow. Most people haven’t said a word about my weight loss but since I was off ill last week people are now saying things like – are you sure you are really o.k. as you have lost so much weight and some people are commenting that I look very thin now, am I really o.k.. it seems that they had noticed but hadn’t liked to say anything before.

Reading the posts about all the high carb goodies in coffee shops made me think about the huge amount of really awful sugary high carb food in the several food outlets at the hospital I was at yesterday. This hospital is a university and teaching hospital and is one of the major hospitals in our county and I would imagine that a huge number of its patients are like me – that the sugary high starchy carbs have caused our illnesses. In fact it is quite hard to track down any BSD food there.

Verano you are right – carbs or control – no contest. When I was ordering my coffee yesterday I looked at all the sweet carby food on offer and thought that there was no way that eating any of it would make up for the awfulness of having to have a lucentis injections into my eye for the diabetic macular oedema. It is so horrible that the nurse offers to hold your hand while you are injected. Each of these injections cost the NHS £800.

Because I got really stressed out yesterday as I was so scared that I might need another injection (totally illogical I know because you only need them if your blood sugars are high) this morning I had a real craving for several pieces of my 85% chocolate. So I picked up my tablet and started reading the posts in this thread. The craving for the chocolate has now gone and I am sitting enjoying my coffee instead.

DAY 2

Hi everyone

Hope day 1 saw you all getting back on track. Maybe only a little of the way, as in my case, but still an improvement on recent days or weeks.

I managed 2 of my five-a-day goals yesterday … no chocolate and 1.5ltrs of water. I’ve revised my water consumption down a little for the moment. I have too many other things going on without worrying about potassium levels etc.

I do know how serious raised potassium levels are. I had a ‘rogue’ blood test about 18 months ago and the doctor rang me and told me to get to A&E NOW!!! My potassium levels appeared to be very high and she’d arranged for me to have another blood test pronto. Turned out that the blood cells from my first test had been ‘damaged’ when the sample was taken and so there was a high potassium reading. Must be really dangerous if a GP rings you urgently!!

So best to be safe than sorry and just drink as much as you feel happy with … you will soon tell from your urine if you’re not drinking enough!!

Hope you all have a good day.

Good for you Krysia!!!

I’m not sure your fear was irrational after all you have experienced the injections in the past but hopefully it is firmly in the past now.

I think I may have had a small ‘whoosh’ as you say Krysia. Not reporting anything yet but keeping fingers crossed for nest Tuesday!!!

Hi everyone, i would love to join this happy throng as well. First 2 days went very well, feeling optimistic, a Pollyanna feel to life at present. Have a good day eveyone xx

Verano congrats on the successful no chocolate challenge yesterday and for the weight loss ‘whoosh’. Look forward to hearing what your weight loss is next Tuesday.